Club Tijuana 1-0 Corinthians: Xolos beat world champs

By Zac Lee Rigg

A Javier Gandolfi goal that looked offside marked the difference between Tijuana and Corinthians in an open Copa Libertadores encounter.

TIJUANA – The Mexican champion beat the world champion on Wednesday. Club Tijuana notched an impressive 1-0 win over recent Club World Cup victor Corinthians in the Copa Libertadores.

In a tense match in Estadio Caliente, the reigning Liga MX champs used their devastating counterattacks, a dodgy turf and a perhaps-offside goal to secure one of the biggest wins in the young club's history.

Corinthians beat Cirilo Saucedo twice in the first half, but neither counted. Within a thee minute spell Paulinho scored two offside goals and picked up a yellow card. The first disallowed strike was a close-range volley after a free kick fell to him in the 13th minute. The second was a clever flick from a Renato Augusto cross.

The two best Xolos chances of the half came shortly after. In the 20th minute an Alfredo Moreno back heel freed Duniver Riascos, who swerved a cross into the box. Goalkeeper Cassio met the ball first, knocking it out for a corner before taking out Fidel Martinez. The referee dismissed the penalty claims. A few minutes later Moreno again fed Riascos. This time the 26-year-old chipped the goalkeeper, but also overshot the goal.

The teams started the second half by swapping blocks. First, Paolo Guerrero slipped his marker and fired off a narrow shot that Saucedo tipped into the outside netting. Then Cristian Pellerano fired a rasping shot from distance that only Cassio's fingertips kept out of the goal.

In the 75th minute, Tijuana took the lead. Fernando Arce lobbed a free kick that Pablo Aguilar headed across goal. The ball hit several players before Javier Gandolfi pushed it over the line.

Despite some sloppy play, the Xolos held on for the win, their third in three Copa Libertadores matches.